Shower of Sparks
by rebelxxwaltz
Summary: After the battle with Sephiroth, Cid Highwind doesn't know what to do next. What will it take for him to see that his next and most important pursuit should be...Shera? What the...! Cid x Shera. New title, old story. Please review!
1. Fading Flame

Hello!

You might have seen this story before as **A Dream the Universe Forgot**. Well, I never really liked that title, and the story has been taking up space on my account not being updated since sometime in 2001, I think. Well, I decided to revive it.

Sorry to anyone who has me on author alert and thought I'd updated **Holiday Blues**. Not yet, but soon! I swear this time!

For anyone that's been reading **Love is Like a War**: after a quick revamp and edit, this story is now a companion piece. A prequel. Whatever you want to call it. They stand independently from each other, however, and one is not required reading for understanding the other. This just shows what Cid was doing before the events portrayed in that story (a Rufus/Tifa fic, in case you didn't know).

Warning: Cid is very angsty in the beginning of this. Beware! He will seem quite out of character. But that's the whole idea. The plot sort of revolves around it. Hopefully, by the end of the story, he will be back to his old self. Or better! I love Cid, and will enjoy torturing him.

Also: This has nothing to do with Advent Children. I haven't seen it yet, so don't flame me because this is old school!

Disclaimer: Nothing you recognize here belongs to me. And though I like to pretend Cid and Shera belong only to themselves, I think Squaresoft might have some kind of claim on them.

**Shower of Sparks**

**Chapter 1: Fading Flame**

**Shera's POV**

Every day was the same. Come rain, come shine, from summer into autumn...each day at the small house in Rocket Town inhabited by Captain Cid Highwind and Shera Stargazer passed away into the oblivion of time, undistinguished, without ceremony, identical to all the others.

Noontime on one of these bland, prefabricated autumn days found Shera in the kitchen. She was making tea and a sandwich for Cid, just like she had every day for the past several months. The monotony was beginning to get to her, but she had never yet complained. Shera sighed as she heard The Captain enter through the back door. She didn't understand what had happened to him. Ever since the battle for The Planet, he had been in the gloomiest, most un-Cid-like mood that she had ever witnessed. The fight

with Sephiroth was six months ago now.

Cid flopped down into his favorite chair, somehow managing to take out and light a cigarette at the same time. Those who knew Cid well would comment that his movements, though still fluid and oddly captivating, lacked the energy and bravado that they came to expect from him. He propped his feet up on an adjacent chair, loosening the white scarf that perpetually encased his neck. His sky blue eyes did not twinkle with mischief as he absently ran one gloved hand over his stubbled cheek, instead they stared vacantly at some unknown point along the table, as though he were looking right through it. His gaze drifted briefly to Shera, moving slowly and deliberately as she always did.

"Tea ready yet?" He asked in a flat voice, casting his eyes downward long before Shera gave a response.

Shera didn't bother to turn around. "Almost, Captain."

He nodded to himself, releasing a long stream of smoke through his nose. The comforting wisps swirled all about his head, caressing him like a great, misty octopus.

The silence in the kitchen as Shera poured The Captain's tea was far thicker than any amount of smoke that Cid could dispense. Shera hated seeing him act like this. How she longed for the days when he would

swear and shout...because in those days he would also sometimes laugh (and he had such an infectious laugh), talk, at least smile...as it was, he barely said 5 words in a day.

Shera felt a somewhat irrational anger building inside of her. His behavior made no sense! He was one of the heroes of The Planet, along with his friends from AVALANCHE. He had achieved his dream of being the

first man in space. He had enough money so that both of them could live comfortably for a long while, and he could tinker with his plane and the airship to his heart's content. Yet here he was, going through every day as though all of his accomplishments were worthless, and life was a complete waste of time!

Shera shook her head imperceptibly as she presented Cid with his sandwich and slid into the chair across from him. She obscured her face with a magazine, forcing back the tears that threatened to fall. She knew any sensible person would have left ages ago, but she hadn't been able to do it. How she loved him...and through all the years of being shouted at, sworn at, ordered around-- it had never hurt more than it did at that moment as she watched him sip his tea, eyes distant and numb, seeming unaware that she even existed.

**Cid's POV**

Cid Highwind finished his lunchtime tea and promptly exited from the kitchen. Damn, he hated it when Shera looked at him like that. Like she didn't understand who he was anymore. Probably because, truth be told, neither did he.

People would laugh. They'd think it was real damn funny, wouldn't they? Captain Cid Highwind, having an identity crisis? How #ing quaint.

He reflected, sitting on the back steps of the house, on all that had happened in the past year. AVALANCHE, Shinra, Aeris, Meteor, The Rocket, Sephiroth...He shook his head, sparking the end of yet another cigarette. He could make no heads or tails of any of it. All he knew was that the most important time of his life had flickered by in an instant--the whole thing felt like one brilliant flash of light--and now

it was over. And he was here. And he had no idea what the hell he was supposed to do now.

What on earth could there be left to do for a man who had helped save The Planet from the greatest of evils, and embraced the very stars where they dwelt in the sky? Cid felt like he didn't have a dream left to

chase. He'd sent all his dreams into the universe, and that was where they'd remain.

He got up and walked over to his airplane, grinding the remains of his cigarette into the hard ground as he stepped. He picked up a wrench, scanning his eyes over the section of the engine he had been working on

before lunch. He didn't know why he was bothering. Of course the damn plane would fly again. But where the hell did he have left to fly it to? Rage swelled inside of him and he hurled the wrench a the ground, where it landed with a solid thud.

"#!"

Cid tore angrily at his deceptively soft blonde hair, causing it to stick out at odder angles than usual. In a furious haze, he kicked the first thing that came into his vision, which happened to be the Tiny Bronco.

**clang**

The sound of his foot connecting with the metal on the side of the plane reverberated through the air as he fell promptly to the ground, grabbing his foot and releasing an anguished grumble.

He wasn't wearing his steel-toes today.

Cid sighed and placed another cigarette between his dry lips. As he savagely ripped clumps of brown autumn grass out of the lawn, he looked back towards the house, his thoughts turning to the one person he understood even less than himself.

Shera.

He furrowed his eyebrows, squinting when the sunlight reflecting off the windows hit his eyes. Why in hell was Shera still here? He tried not to think about it too much, but if he were her, he'd have been long gone by now. But she was still there every day when he got out of bed, exactly like she was the day before. To his distracted mind, she sometimes seemed like just another part of the never-shifting scenery.

Shit...if she didn't hate him already, after that tank #8 disaster, she surely must by now. If only he wasn't such a bastard all the time, maybe things could have been different. But it was too damn late for that now, just like it was for everything else.

Rising somewhat stiffly from his perch on the lawn and redirecting his attention to the Bronco, Cid Highwind began to feel distinctly like the old man that Yuffie Kisaragi liked to claim he was.

So this is how it begins...I haven't changed the first chapter much at all from when it was **A Dream the Universe Forgot**; not that anyone ever read that story anyway. LoL it won't be a long story, 3 or 4 chapters the way I have it figured. Please let me know if it's any good!


	2. A Dying Town

Hi.

Here is Chapter 2 of this new and improved story. Just to warn you, this may not get an immediate update. I've got other stuff I'm working on that needs attention first. I just wanted to get this in motion. I hope someone is out there to read it!

**Shower of Sparks**

**Chapter 2: A Dying Town**

Shera stepped outside the next morning, inhaling a breath of what, to her, passed as fresh air. Somehow, Rocket Town had always managed to emit a distinctive blend of odors; it had smelled of motor oil, mud, coffee, stale liquor, and sawdust for as long as she could remember. Except on Thursdays. On Thursdays, the entire town smelt of fabric softener. For some reason, every person in the town did their laundry on Thursday. No one remembered why.

Like most, Shera didn't often stop to wonder anymore. But as she trudged towards the mailbox with her scuffed work boots untied and damp air tickling her legs, something did catch her attention. Or, perhaps, the lack of something. Rocket Town had never been a crowded place by any means. Few people had ever lived there that weren't connected with the Shinra space program, and even some who were chose to commute from other locations rather than reside there. The Shinra expense accounts had been generous enough to permit such a lifestyle.

No one had ever proposed changing the settlement's name to Rocket City, or even so much as joked about electing a mayor. Still, Shera couldn't help but be surprised at just how _desolate_ the place had actually become.

As she retrieved a stack of envelopes from the mailbox, Shera estimated that at least a third of the population had left town in the past two months alone. Storefronts stood empty, windows grew dusty or suddenly boarded up for good. The people who did remain seemed mired in a cycle of futility. The very atmosphere radiated loss of purpose. Shera frowned. Even the poor old man... there was no rocket left for him to stare at.

What amazed her most was how completely, with what absolute faith, the fortunes of the town mirrored the tempers of The Captain. Depressing, really. The similarity made the town seem even more hopeless.

Shera remembered the day Cid returned to Rocket Town, two weeks after the confrontation with Sephiroth. The whole town went berserk, greeting him with a hero's welcome and a party for the ages. He shook the hands, accepted the congratulations, and promptly retreated to his house. He locked the doors, pulled the curtains shut, and didn't emerge from his room for a week unless he needed to eat or use the restroom.

_He's exhausted, _the people rationalized. Most of them, anyway.

There was a small but vocal faction who contested that The Captain was certainly too busy "reuniting" with Shera to bother with sleep. They always had assumed... Shera found it almost comforting. After all, it couldn't really hurt for them to think... I mean, it was probably the closest she was ever going to get...

Sitting down on the front step, Shera remembered the night she truly realized that things were going seriously awry with Cid, and not much better for the rest of Rocket Town.

**FLASHBACK**

As had happened many times in the past, the concerned townspeople had assembled to seek the advice of Captain Highwind. After Shinra had finished with Rocket Town, he had been the only person left that most of them viewed as a leader or figure of authority. They had always told visitors that he was sort of a "town representative", and they saw no reason to think this had changed after Sephiroth's defeat. If nothing else, they respected him more... until the night when they all gathered in his front yard to ask him what the town should do next-- they had no livelihood, no money. They needed a plan; a purpose, some leadership, anything. And who else was there to turn to?

After much cajoling, Shera had managed to urge a grumpy, unshaven Captain out onto the front steps.

"The Captain!"

"Finally! He'll know what to do!"

Shera had watched Cid as he stared out at the eager faces in bewilderment, bleary blue eyes gradually sharpening into a resentful glare.

"Captain! Let's open a casino! I heard from my cousin in Corel that Dio is closing down the Gold Saucer for good. Imagine all the money we could make... and the girls!" Exclaimed one young man.

An old codger bristled at this, waving his cane wildly. "I won't see this town turned into a filthy sin-pit! Besides, we don't have the money to start up an operation like that. I say we all become farmers!"

"Farmers?" Cried a chubby woman with a baby at her hip, "And what would any of you greasy old gear-heads know about planting crops?"

With this comment, the meeting dissolved into a frenzy. People shouted, trying to overpower each other. Women shrieked, and a pair of the stronger men almost came to blows.

Shera looked at Cid. "Captain, aren't you going to..."

She trailed off as he inclined his head toward her slightly and she noticed the 'angry vein' swelling at his temple. He took a step forward, propping himself against the doorway with one gloved hand.

"Would you all just shut the #& up!"

Everyone froze, regarding The Captain with rapt attention. They awaited his answer in expectant silence for a long moment. When no further speech followed, the old man spoke up. "Well, sonny? What do you think? We're all waiting to hear your advice."

The crowd murmured their agreement, but what Shera heard more clearly was a distinctive creak of leather as Cid's hand tightened around the handle of his tea mug.

"Advice," he began. "You want _my_ advice?" His voice was cheerless, his tone laced with bitter menace. "Fine. I've got three suggestions for you. First, get your sorry asses off my #ing lawn. Second, next time you have a problem, don't come whining to me!"

Cid's voice was gradually rising into an ear-blistering scream. He took one more stride forward, causing the townspeople to recoil.

"Last but not least, I _advise_ all of you to leave this worthless shit hole of a town and seek your _fortunes_ elsewhere. This hunk of junk is nothing but a pile of dirt and spare #&ing parts! So do whatever you want to do and leave _me_ the hell alone!"

With that, Cid hurled his teacup across the yard, smashing it against a fence post and splattering several unfortunate people with hot tea. He turned away from their horrified faces and retreated back into the house. Shera stood for a moment, mouth opening and closing as the townspeople turned to look at her. Thinking of no adequate words, she followed Cid back into the house and closed the door behind her.

**END FLASHBACK**

That was when the people started leaving. Almost every day someone else came to bid Shera farewell, often not-so-subtly hinting that she should follow suit and leave Captain Highwind to his own devices. After that day, Cid's anger had ebbed, and he had begun his lifeless existence as the seeming shell of the man he had been. No raging, no shouting, no laughing; not even the critical banter Shera had come, somehow, to enjoy. He just tinkered with his machines, drank his tea, and stared absently up into the sky.

_Oh well, _Shera mused, using a knife to unseal a letter from her cousin in Junon as she stepped back into the kitchen. It could be worse. She leaned against the counter, turning on the kettle to make the Captain's tea. _At least he came back alive..._

And though that was technically accurate, a small voice in the back of Shera's mind still wondered whether or not it was _true_. He certainly didn't _act_ alive. She sighed. In any case, there was nothing more she could do...

She shook these troubles from her mind and began to read the letter.

_Dear Shera, _

_How's my favorite cousin? I hope that grizzly old Captain isn't working you into the ground like he used to. Of course, you always seemed to enjoy it, so who am I to judge? I still think you should find yourself a man who appreciates you, but I guess that's none of my business!_

_Anyway, just writing to tell you that Karnak and i are nicely settled here in Junon. You simply must come to visit us! The whole of upper Junon is on the rise, and it's safe and fun and we absolutely love it! In fact, Karnak suggested that I ask you to come and live with us. There's a new company here that's hiring scientists and engineers and machinists like crazy. We've been trying to figure out what they're up to, but apparently they're somewhat secretive. With your experience with machines and your time in the space program they'd probably jump at the chance to hire you!_

_I know it's not likely that we can persuade you to leave Rocket Town or that Captain of yours, but please at least think about it. We'd love to see you. Got to stick together, right? Write me back as soon as you get a chance. _

_Your obnoxious (you know you love it!) cousin, _

_Karwen_

Shera allowed herself a small smile. Her cousins were the only family she had left. Both Karnak and Karwen shared her father's temperament, being the children of her father's younger sister. Shera was less boisterous, quiet and unexciting, like her mother.

She set the letter thoughtlessly on top of the other mail and rapidly returned to the boiling tea kettle as Cid lumbered across the kitchen. She watched wordlessly as he pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing with seeming resignation at the start of yet another spirit-crushing day...

There. I was going to continue it, but I wanted to get this posted before I go to work this afternoon so the next bits will have to wait for another day. I'd be delighted to know if anyone is actually interested in this story. I promise, Cid will get better. But he'll have to get worse first!

:GIGGLES WITH GLEE AT PROSPECT OF FAVORITE CHARACTER TORTURE:

Don't worry, we'll get him sorted out. He just needs someone to remind him why he fought to save The Planet in the first place! Drop a review!


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